Ballet with a touch of Robbie
From Manchester online


ROBBIE Williams, Radiohead and Ralph Vaughan Williams are among the artists providing the music for one of Britain's most popular dance companies, Ballet Central, who come to the Royal Northern College Of Music tonight and tomorrow.

The company are drawn from third year students of London's Central School of Ballet, founded by Ann Stannard and the late Christopher Gable 20 years ago. in London.

This Company really is different in that the performers also act as the crew.

They set up stage, lighting and sound, rehearse, perform, take down and do the "get-out". Thus, they learn the ropes quite literally, and, as Christopher Gable used to say, "once you've done that, you can do anything".

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<small>[ 13 March 2005, 09:26 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

Ballet Central @ RNCM
By Natalie Anglesey for Manchester online

I WAS embarrassed last night at the bad behaviour of a section of the audience who felt that they had to noisily eat and drink their way through a performance, showing little or no respect for the performers or the rest of the audience.

I couldn't help wondering if the people responsible realised that the dancers may find it distracting to hear the loud cracking open of cans of drink.

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Hi - I was at the RNCM performance on first April and I've got to say that I didn't notice much rustling of sweeties or guzzling of drinks (and I tend to be hyper-sensitive to these things!)

I thought it was the best Ballet Central programme that I've seen over the last couple of years - really well thought out. My particular highlight was the extracts from David Bintley's Flowers of the Forest and the Harker/Dracula duet from NBT's Dracula. I thought several of the dancers really stood out and hope at least some of them will join British based companies.

I can recommend the Ballet Central tour as being a good night out and a good way of spotting potential stars of the future.

Press release

<img src="http://www.centralschoolofballet.co.uk/Ballet%20Centrals%20National%20Tour/Assets/Images/BC%20About%20Image%201.jpg" alt="" />

Ballet Central, sponsored by ScottishPower, announces 20th Anniversary national tour for 2005

- Young, versatile company brings dance to new audiences


Ballet Central, sponsored by ScottishPower, announces 28 dates in its 2005 national tour, commencing 6 April in London. Now celebrating 20 years of bringing fresh and exuberant dance to audiences across the UK, this company of young talented performers is recognised as a springboard into the top international dance companies.

The 2005 tour, directed for the first time by Fergus Logan (international dance artist and choreographer, and graduate of Central School of Ballet), brings together some of the country’s foremost choreographers. The company will perform new works from the award-winning David Nixon (Artistic Director of Northern Ballet Theatre), Cathy Marston and Sara Matthews. Also in the programme, the revival of an excerpt from one of Gillian Lynne’s ballets as well as works by new choreographic talent.

Audiences can expect live performances of new, commissioned scores by international dance composer Philip Feeney and music ranging from Benjamin Britten to Talking Heads.

The company’s popularity, particularly with regional and new dance audiences, resides in the remarkable versatility of the dancers, on display in the range of the repertoire. The programme embraces pure Classical Ballet, dynamic Contemporary Dance, Jazz works and narrative pieces.

The 2005 tour sees the dancers performing in a diversity of venues including the prestigious Linbury, Royal Opera House and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, as well as bringing quality dance to the regions in towns which include Galashiels, Abergavenny and Frome.

In one of the biggest dance sponsorships of its kind, ScottishPower are supporting Ballet Central’s tour for the fourth consecutive year, with a commitment confirmed until 2007 to the value of £1.3 million over 6 years. The partnership recently won an Arts & Business Award for Sustainability.

Heather McDonald, Head of UK Sponsorships at ScottishPower commented: “Our sponsorship of Ballet Central supports ScottishPower’s aim to increase accessibility to the arts, particularly for young people, and underlines our commitment to the local communities in which we operate”.

Fergus Logan, Artistic Director of Ballet Central, added: “The calibre of Ballet Central’s work is reflected by ScottishPower’s high-profile sponsorship and the fantastic choreographers who work with the company. Where else would you see works from David Nixon, Gillian Lynne, Cathy Marston, Sara Matthews and new choreographic talent in a single night out?”

Ballet Central is formed from final-year students at one of Europe’s leading centres for dance education, Central School of Ballet in London. The school has an enviable record of success in producing versatile artists who come from a wide range of backgrounds and go on to graduate into top dance companies around the world. This has enabled Ballet Central to explode the elitism often associated with this art form.


Notes:

- Founded 23 years ago by Ann Stannard and the late Christopher Gable CBE, Central School of Ballet is one of the UK’s leading centres for dance training.

- Ballet Central has been touring annually for 20 years.

- Fergus Logan, from Glasgow, directs Ballet Central for the first time. A successful career in the dance world has taken him from Principal Dancer with Leeds-based Northern Ballet Theatre to a director and choreographer in the West End.

- Based on London’s Clerkenwell Road, Central School of Ballet is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama.

- The school’s ethos is the belief that talented, dedicated young people should have access to the highest quality of training, whatever their economic, social or cultural background.

- The school has one of the highest rates of employment for graduating students. Recent graduates have secured contracts with companies including Northern Ballet Theatre, The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, K Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, Nederlands Dans Theater, Scottish Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet.

- Central School of Ballet has launched a major Development Appeal to raise £3.5million to provide superb new facilities for young dancers, including a performance space.

- Visit www.centralschoolofballet.co.uk for further information about Central School of Ballet, Ballet Central and the Development Appeal.


Ballet Central Tour Dates 2005

6 April London, Sir Jack Lyons Theatre,

Royal Academy of Music

8 & 9 April Kendal, Brewery Arts Centre

11 April Colwyn Bay, Theatr Colwyn

13 April Liverpool, Crosby Civic Hall

15 April London, Linbury at the Royal Opera House

17 April Hertford, Castle Hall

22 April Abergavenny, Borough Theatre

30 April Bracknell, Wilde Theatre

4 May Chesterfield, The Pomegranate Theatre

13 May Newtown, Theatr Hafren

18 May Grantham, Guildhall Arts Centre

19 May Wakefield Theatre Royal

20 May Hexham, Queen’s Hall Arts

25 May Galashiels, Volunteer Hall

26 May Stirling, Macrobert

7 & 8 June Taunton, Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre

9 & 10 June Bridport, Bridport Arts Centre

11 June Frome, Merlin Theatre

16 June Cumbernauld Theatre

18 June Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

21 June Eastleigh, The Point

23 June Chipping Norton, The Theatre

29 June Crawley, The Hawth

8 & 9 July London, UCL Bloomsbury Theatre

(8 July school’s matinee; 9 July evening only)

With Central School of Ballet

6 - 8 & 9 (mat) London, UCL Bloomsbury Theatre

Repertoire 2005

Song to St. Andrew Choreography: David Nixon Music: Philip Feeney

Sense and Innocence Choreography: Cathy Marston Music: Dave Maric

Numbers Game Choreography: Sara Matthews Music: Philip Feeney

The Brontës

- An Excerpt Choreography: Gillian Lynne Music: Dominic Muldowney

Simple Symphony Choreography: Nellie Happee Music: Benjamin Britten

This isn’t the Time Choreography: Stephen Pelton Music: Talking Heads

Yes Baby Choreography: Lucy Potter Music: Duke Ellington / Harold Arlen

and Johnny Mercer

Sidewinder Choreography: Morgann Runacre-Temple Music: Balanescu Quartet


Central School of Ballet
10 Herbal Hill, Clerkenwell Road
London EC1R 5EG
Direct Line: 020 7520 2069
Tel: 020 7837 6332 Fax: 020 7833 5571
www.centralschoolofballet.co.uk
Central School of Ballet Development Appeal

We need the help of many individuals and organisations to achieve our aim of providing a superb environment for the development of artistry and creation of art. We hope that you will be one of them.

If you would like further information please contact
fundraising@csbschool.co.uk or visit our website at
www.centralschoolofballet.co.uk